Brighton Visitor Survey 2018

Transcription

1 Brighton Visitor Survey 2018 October 2018 Prepared by: TSE Research 40 Chamberlayne Road Eastleigh Hampshire SO50 5JH

2 Registered in England No Registered office: 40 Chamberlayne Road Eastleigh Hampshire Tel: +44 (0) VAT Registration No. GB TSE Research is a member of the Market Research Society Partner Scheme and our fieldwork is accredited by the Interviewer Quality Standards Scheme

3 CONTENT 1 Executive Summary Introduction Visitor profile Use of destination information Trip features Visitor satisfaction 3 2 Introduction Study purpose and objectives Research methodology Statistical reliability Presentation of findings Definitions 6 3 Survey results Visitor type Profile of visitor Domestic/Overseas Home location of all Group size and composition Age and Gender profile Socio-economic status Who are you visiting Brighton and Hove with/for? Trip characteristics Main purpose of trip Location of accommodation used by day on holiday Accommodation used by staying Sources used to choose accommodation Specified online sources Other sources When did you decide to make your trip to Brighton and Hove What was the initial trigger for thinking about Brighton and Hove Transport used whilst in Brighton and Hove How navigated way round the City Transport used for making trip Length of stay Information sources used Activities undertaken Events and attractions visited Visitor Expenditure Staying visitor expenditure Day visitor on from holiday expenditure Day visitor from home holiday expenditure Visitor Opinions Accommodation Visitor satisfaction ratings Overall rating of the Brighton & Hove offer 28 Appendix 1 Brighton and Hove 2018 Questionnaire 30 Appendix 2 Full list of responses for initial trigger for visit. 33

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5 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Introduction This document presents the findings of a survey of to Brighton and Hove, conducted during July, August and September The survey was commissioned by VisitBrighton and undertaken by TSE Research The purpose of the survey was to enhance VisitBrighton s understanding of the city s tourism market and provide the basis for tourism policies. The results will be compared with the survey conducted in Key findings from this year s survey are presented below. 1.2 Visitor profile This year saw an increase in the proportion of day from home (39% compared to 35% in 2016) but fewer people visiting as day from holiday bases outside Brighton and Hove (19% compared to 28% in 2016). The remaining 42% of all were staying overnight in commercial or non-commercial accommodation within Brighton and Hove, an increase of 5% compared with 2016 (37%) Day on holiday were found to be predominately staying in accommodation elsewhere in East Sussex (106 ), London (46 ) or in West Sussex (26 ) Average group size is smaller when compared with On average, visiting parties consisted of 2.54 people, made up of 2.21 adults and 0.33 children. This compares to an average group size of 2.75 people in 2016 made up of 2.31 adults and 0.44 children As with previous years, a high proportion of all visiting parties consisted of adults only (80%), and among adult only groups, just over half (52%) consisted of two adults. Adult only groups made up 81% of visiting parties in This year 20% of all visitor parties included one or more children (19% in 2016) Thirteen percent of all people represented within the visitor groups surveyed were children aged 0-15 years (compared to 17% in Thirty-six percent of all were mature adults aged 55 years or more The survey results indicate a relatively affluent profile of to Brighton and Hove. The majority of were from ABC1 households (accounting for 68% of all ; 74% in 2016). This includes 22% of all who were from the top AB professional grade (down from 32% in 2016) Overseas accounted for 20% of the overall sample (26% in 2016). Scandinavia, Germany, the United States, France and Australasia were the most frequently mentioned countries of residence Domestic came from a wide range of home locations around the UK, however, the highest proportion originated from the South East (24%) and Greater London area (20%). 1

6 1.3 Use of destination information Eighty-three percent of staying searched online to choose their accommodation, 7% had received a recommendation from others, 5% had used social media and 1% had visited a Visitor Information Centre Sixty percent of all did not use any information sources prior to their trip (40% in 2016) Of the formal channels of visitor information available, word of mouth/recommendation was mentioned by 22% of. A further 14% had looked online, 4% had used social media, 3% had seen a leaflet or brochure and 2% had been inspired by a television programme. 1.4 Trip features The highest proportion of indicated that the main purpose of their visit to Brighton and Hove was for leisure/ holiday purposes (79%). Twelve percent were in Brighton and Hove primarily for the purpose of visiting friends or relatives (VFR), 2% were language students, 3% were on a special shopping trip and 1% were visiting for business purposes Thirty percent of staying were on a short break of 2-3 nights, 19% for 1 night, 30% for 4-7 nights, 12% for 8-14 nights and 9% for more than 14 nights A high proportion (43%) of the surveyed this summer were visiting Brighton and Hove with a partner and a further 14% indicating that they were travelling alone Of the visitor groups staying overnight in Brighton and Hove, 64% were using serviced accommodation (67%in 2016). Fifteen percent of all staying were accommodated in the homes of friends or relatives in 2018 (17% in 2016) and 8% were staying in Air BnBs (2% in 2016) Forty-two percent of all had travelled to Brighton and Hove by private vehicle (car/ van/ motorcycle or motorhome); 36% in Fifty-four percent all used public transport (a train or coach/bus service); 51% in Only 2% had arrived in the city as part of a coach tour (4% in 2016) When asked what the main trigger had been for initiating their visit to Brighton and Hover, 26% said it was to visit the sea/beach and 18% said it had been to visit friends and/or relatives. Eleven percent had visited previously, 11% just wanted a day out and 7% had been triggered by the good summer weather The most popular activity undertaken by was just walking around (81%), followed by going out for something to eat (76%), visiting the beach/seafront (75%), shopping (51%) and visiting a tourist attraction (46%). The main attractions visited were the pier (59%), the Royal Pavilion (29%) and the British Airways i360 (23%) The average overall spend on eating out, shopping, entertainment and travel/transport among staying overnight in Brighton and Hove in 2018 was (per person per 24 hours), lower than the average expenditure of in Expenditure on commercial accommodation was ( in 2016). When added together the average total spend for staying, was estimated to be per person per night ( in 2016). 2

7 1.4.9 Day on holiday visiting Brighton and Hove spent an average of per person per day during 2018 (higher than the average expenditure of in 2016). Eating out accounted for the highest proportion of their spend Day from home to Brighton and Hove spent an average of per person per day during 2016 (lower than the average expenditure of in 2016). Eating out and shopping accounted for the highest proportion of day visitor from home spend. 1.5 Visitor satisfaction As in previous years, high levels of visitor satisfaction were reported for many aspects relating to the visitor experience in Brighton and Hove. Aspects of the visit which were rated particularly highly in 2016 were Lively gay scene (8.77 out of 10), Ease of finding way around (8.66 out of 10), Choice of nightlife/evening entertainment (8.62 out of 10), Quality of places to eat and drink (8.61 out of 10), Vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere (8.60 out of 10) and Feeling of welcome (8.60 out of 10) It should be noted that only scores lower than 7 are poor scores. The only two aspects which were deemed low in 2016 were Cleanliness and availability of public toilets (6.53 out of 10) and Value for money of parking (5.27 out of 10) An overview of all performance scores show that compared to 2016 most changes performance indicators saw an improvement. To be considered a significant improvement, there needs to be an increase in the satisfaction score of at least 0.20 points There are fifteen aspects which achieved this level of improvement this year compared to 2016, the most significant of which were City heritage (up 1.19 points in its score), Transport in the city cycles (up 0.69 points in its score), Transport in the city buses (up 0.62 points in its score) and Lively gay scene (up 0.43 points in its score) Visitors rated the overall enjoyment of their visit to Brighton and Hove high at 8.66 out of Nearly all (8.85 out of 10) indicated that they were likely to recommend Brighton and Hove as a visitor destination to others and 8.81 out of 10 said they were likely to return for a day trip or short stay. 3

8 2. Introduction 2.1 Study purpose and objectives Over the peak summer period of 2018 TSE Research was commissioned by VisitBrighton to undertake a major piece of research into the leisure visitor market. The overall purpose of the study was to enhance VisitBrighton s understanding of the city s tourism market and provide the basis for tourism policies. With regard to the latter, it was essential that the research would identify elements driving visitor satisfaction and to track changes in the profile and experiences of by comparing the results to the 2016 visitor survey. To achieve the aims set out by VisitBrighton, the following research objectives were set: 1. To collect up to date information on the origin, profile, behaviour and opinions of day and staying to Brighton & Hove; 2. Identify which market sectors VisitBrighton are likely to generate repeat business from and which are most at risk; 3. Calculate the components currently contributing most to customers satisfaction and to identify emerging trends in order to inform marketing initiatives; 4. To compare the results to the previous visitor survey and identify key changes; 5. To measure effectiveness of current marketing and branding. 2.2 Research methodology To maintain consistency with the 2016 visitor survey the same research tools and definitions were adopted for this survey. The survey involved face-to-face interviews with a random sample of 1 who were at least half way through their visit 2. Individual interviewing sessions were carried out from the hours of 11am to 6pm during July, August and September A copy of the questionnaire is attached in Appendix 1. In all, 4,343 people were stopped for interview. Of these 985 (23%) were not eligible to complete the interview and 2,037 (47%) refused to be stopped. In total 985 (23%) adult were successfully interviewed at key locations in Brighton & Hove. Overall, 474 (48%) completed interviews were achieved during the month of August, 294 (30%) in July and 217 (22%) completed interviews were achieved in September. Response rates for each survey location are shown overleaf in Table (i). 1 Those visiting for non-leisure purposes, e.g. trips concerned with their normal work, study or household shopping were nit included in the survey. 2 Because satisfaction surveys rely on having used or experienced a particular service or facility, interviewing was not conducted before 11am 4

9 Table (i): Response rates Location Number of interviews % Train Station 79 8% North Laine 55 6% Coach Station 6 1% New Road (including Pavilion and area outside TIC) % East Street and Lanes 40 4% Brighton Marina 9 1% Beach (between both piers) % Madeira Drive 50 5% Churchill Shopping Centre 49 5% Electric Railway 67 7% British Airways i % Total % It is acknowledged that street surveys of this type are liable to under-represent certain sectors of the visitor market, including touring coach parties and staying business. Overseas are also likely to be under-represented, since interviews were conducted in English and therefore tend to exclude non-english speakers. 2.3 Statistical reliability All sample surveys are subject to statistical error that varies with the sample size. Table (ii) below shows the respective sample achieved for each visitor type and gives the margins within which one can be 95% certain that the true figures will lie (assuming the sample is random). Table (ii): Sample size & margins of error at 95% confidence interval Result 10% or 20% or 30% or 40% or 50% 90% 80% 70% 60% Sample +/- +/- +/- +/- +/- Day from home Day on holiday Staying Domestic Overseas Overall survey sample The margins of error shown above should be borne in mind when interpreting the results within this report. 2.4 Presentation of findings Key findings are presented under the following headings: Type of trip Visitor profile Characteristics of visit Visitor expenditure Visitors' opinions 5

10 Key findings generally refer to all ; however commentary is provided where there is a significant difference between visitor types (e.g. day from home, day on holiday and staying ). 2.5 Definitions Day from home who had travelled to Brighton and Hove from, and were returning to, homes outside of Brighton and Hove on the day of their visit. Day on holiday travelling to Brighton and Hove for the day from holiday bases outside of Brighton and Hove. Staying staying overnight in accommodation in Brighton and Hove. 6

11 3. Survey results 3.1 Visitor type A total of 985 were interviewed in Brighton and Hove during Of these, 58% were day which is divided between day from home (39% of all ) and day travelling to Brighton & Hove for the day while staying away from home or en route to other locations, and who were not staying overnight in the city (19%). The survey found that over half (56%) of all day on holiday were staying in other parts of East Sussex, 14% were staying in West Sussex, 24% were staying in London and the final 5% were staying elsewhere in the region. The remaining 42% of were staying overnight in commercial or noncommercial accommodation within Brighton and Hove. Table 1: Type of visitor Day from home 39% 35% Day on holiday 19% 28% Staying 42% 37% When compared with the findings from the 2016 survey, the proportion of staying at 42% has increased (37% in 2016). It also appears that the proportions of day from home (39%) has risen when compared with 2016 (35%) but that day on holiday (19%) has decreased significantly (28% in 2016). Figure 1: Type of visitor % 39% Day from home Day on holiday Staying 19% 7

12 3.2 Profile of visitor Domestic/Overseas Lower proportions of overseas were encountered in 2018 than in 2016 (20% compared with 26% in 2016), whereas the proportion of domestic has increased (80% compared with 74% in 2016). Table 2: Domestic/Overseas All 2018 All 2016 Domestic % 74% Overseas % 26% Total % 100% Home location of all As with previous years, the highest proportion of all were from home locations in the South East (24%) and London (20%), this is similar to the findings from the 2016 survey (23% from South East and 17% from London). A total of 20% of were from overseas locations compared with 26% in Twenty-eight percent of staying were from overseas. Results split by trip type reveal that 41% of all day from home came from the South East, whilst a third (33%) travelled from London. The home locations of domestic day on holiday in Brighton and Hove were widespread throughout the UK. Relatively high proportions of staying were also from home locations in the South East (14%) and London (15%). Table 3: Home location of all All 2018 All 2016 Day from home Day on holiday Staying visitor South East % 23% 41% 9% 14% London % 17% 33% 6% 15% South 78 8% 4% 14% 5% 4% South West 52 5% 7% 4% 6% 6% East Midlands 47 5% 3% 2% 5% 7% East Anglia 36 4% 3% 2% 3% 5% West Midlands 25 3% 4% 1% 3% 3% North West 31 3% 3% 1% 4% 5% Yorkshire 31 3% 3% <1% 6% 5% North East 16 2% 2% <1% 3% 2% Scotland 15 2% 2% <1% 1% 3% Wales 13 1% 2% <1% 3% 1% Northern Ireland 6 1% <1% <1% - 1% Outside UK % 26% - 46% 28% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% Of the overseas encountered in Brighton & Hove during the 2016 survey, the popular origins were Scandinavia, Germany, United States, France and Australasia. 8

13 Table 4: Home location of overseas staying All overseas 2018 All overseas 2016 Staying in Brighton Staying elsewhere in East Sussex Staying elsewhere in West Sussex Staying in London Staying elsewhere Scandinavia 15% 2% 22% 13% 13% - - Germany 13% 15% 16% 13% - 7% 17% United States 11% 14% 9% 13% - 17% 33% France 10% 11% 9% 22% 13% 5% - Australasia 10% 10% 12% 6% 13% 7% 17% Canada 5% 5% 4% 3% - 10% - Spain 5% 18% 3% 6% - 15% - Netherlands 5% 3% 5% 9% 13% 2% - China 2% 3% 2% 9% Republic of 2% <1% 3% - 13% - 17% Ireland Belgium 1% 4% 1% - 13% - 17% Italy 1% 4% 1% - - 5% - Russia 1% <1% % - Other 9% 10% 16% 16% 6% 25% - Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Other countries listed in the open response (mentioned by fewer than 1% of the sample) was made up of a wide range of countries and included Channel Islands, Austria, Japan, Kuwait, Poland, Mexico, Israel, Bulgaria, Bermuda, Cyprus, Luxembourg, South Africa, UAE, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic and Egypt. It should be noted that overseas tend to be under represented in face to face visitor surveys due to difficulties experienced when interviewing for whom English is not their first language Group size and composition The average size of groups surveyed in 2018 was 2.54 people (2.21 adults and 0.33 children), which is lower than the average group size in 2016 (2.75 people). Day from home averaged the largest group size at 2.66 people (2.62 in 2016). This group also contained the largest proportion of children at 0.44 per visitor group. At an average of 2.42 people per group, the group size for staying has decreased compared with 2016 (2.63). Table 5: Average group size by visitor type Average number of people per group Adults Children Total All Day from home Day on holiday Staying All As shown in Table 6, 80% of groups to Brighton and Hove contained adults only (down from 81% in 2016). Just over half of all the groups contained two adults only. Only fifteen percent of all groups contained just a single adult. 9

14 Twenty percent of groups to Brighton and Hove contained children, an increase of 1% point from Table 6: Group composition All 2018 All 2016 One Adult % 14% Two Adults % 50% Three Adults 53 5% 5% Four Adults 57 6% 10% Five + Adults 24 2% 2% Adults Only % 81% 2% One adult and one child 31 3% 2% One adult and two or more children 13 1% 1% Two adults and one child 55 6% 4% Two adults and two or more children 50 5% 6% Three adults and one child 17 2% 3% Three adults and two or more children 8 1% 1% Four or more adults with one or more children 22 2% 2% Adults and Children % 19% Total % 100% Age and Gender Profile Given the high proportion of groups containing adults only, it is not surprising to find that only 20% of all were children (19% in 2016). Seven percent of all were aged 75 or over (2% in 2016). As shown in Table 7, below, the gender profile shows that females (57%) were better represented than males (43%). Table 7: Age of All 2018 Day from home Day on holiday Staying All % 17% 11% 10% 16% % 11% 14% 15% 15% % 14% 11% 11% 12% % 13% 7% 9% 15% % 16% 14% 22% 15% % 14% 20% 19% 15% % 10% 19% 12% 12% 75+ 7% 7% 3% 2% 2% Male 43% 42% 47% 41% 45% Female 57% 58% 53% 59% 55% Totals may not tally to 100% due to rounding differences Socio-economic status The socio-economic profile of to Brighton and Hove is based on the occupation of the households highest income earner and takes into account the previous occupation of those who were retired. Table 8 provides a definition of each socio-economic status. 10

15 Table 8: Definitions of each socio-economic status Grade Socio-economic status Occupation type A Upper middle class Higher managerial, administrative or professional B Middle class Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional C1 Lower middle class Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional C2 Skilled working class Skilled manual workers D Working class Semi and unskilled manual workers E Welfare dependant Those entirely dependent on the state long-term through sickness, unemployment, old age; casual workers Overall, 22% of all to Brighton & Hove fell into the affluent 'AB' socio-economic group (32% in 2016), whilst a further 48% were C1s (42% in 2016). Twenty-three percent of all fell into the C2 category and only 6% of comprised of the lowest DE groups (19% and 8% in 2016 respectively). Table 9: Socio-economic status comparisons All Visitors 2018 All Visitors 2016 Day from home Day on holiday Staying AB 22% 32% 17% 32% 22% C1 48% 42% 46% 40% 54% C2 23% 19% 29% 21% 20% DE 6% 8% 8% 7% 4% Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Who are you visiting Brighton and Hove with/for? When asked who they were visiting Brighton and Hove with/for, the largest proportion of indicated that they were visiting with a partner (43%), followed by with family (28%). Overall, 86% of all to Brighton and Hove were visiting with at least one other person while 14% were on their own. Table 10: Are you visiting Brighton and Hove with/for? All 2018 Day from home Day on holiday Staying Domestic Overseas On your own % 14% 14% 13% 11% 22% A partner % 39% 41% 47% 45% 34% Your family % 29% 28% 26% 28% 25% Your friends 54 5% 5% 10% 3% 5% 6% Organised group % 16% 11% 12% 14% 12% Hen/Stag group 10 1% 2% 2% <1% 1% 2% N.B. Multiple responses permitted 11

16 3.3 Trip characteristics Main purpose of trip All were asked about their main purpose for visiting Brighton and Hove on the day that they were interviewed. The majority of (79%) described their visit as a holiday or leisure based visit, while a further 12% were there to see friends and/or relatives. There was a slightly higher proportion of people on a holiday/leisure visit (73% in 2016) while the results for VFR are lower than the results from 2016 (16%). The proportion of on a special shopping trip remained static at 3%. Business/conference accounted for only 1% (2% in 2016) and language students accounted for 2% (5% in 2016) of all. Please note that business/conference and language students tend to be under-represented in surveys of this kind due to the timing and location of on-street survey sessions. Table 11: Main purpose of trip All 2018 All 2016 Day from home Day on holiday Staying Holiday/Leisure % 73% 82% 79% 78% Visiting friends or relatives % 16% 10% 13% 14% Special shopping trip (non-regular) 29 3% 3% 6% 2% <1% Language student 23 2% 5% 1% 4% 3% Business/conference visit 13 1% 2% 1% 1% 2% Shopping trip (household/regular shopping) - - <1% Work/study here - - 1% Other e.g. house-hunting 18 2% <1% 1% 1% 3% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% Accommodation used by staying All 410 staying in Brighton & Hove were asked to indicate the type of accommodation they were staying in. Just over two thirds (64%) of staying were found to be staying in serviced accommodation in Brighton and Hove (52% in hotels and 12% in B&B/Guest houses). The results are comparable with the 2016 survey, except in the proportion staying in Air BnB which increased to 8% from 2% in A further 15% of all staying were staying in the homes of friends or relatives, although this has fallen from 2016 when 17% were staying with friends or relatives. As with previous years, when the results are split between domestic and overseas they reveal that a domestic visitor is more likely to be staying in a hotel whereas an overseas visitor is more likely to be staying in the home of friends or family or an Air BnB establishment. 12

17 Table 12: Type of accommodation used for staying trips All staying 2018 All staying 2016 Domestic Overseas Hotel % 53% 57% 38% Home of friend/relative 62 15% 17% 15% 15% B&B/Guest House 49 12% 14% 11% 13% Caravan/Camping 14 3% 4% 5% - Language school 3 1% 3% - 3% Air BnB 32 8% 2% 6% 12% Youth Hostel 8 2% 2% <1% 6% Self-catering (Cottage/Apartments) 13 3% 1% 4% 1% University accommodation 1 <1% 1% - 1% Self-catering (Holiday Complex/Village) 3 1% 1% 1% 1% Pub/Inn - - <1% - - Boat/Yacht 1 <1% <1% - 1% Holiday home/timeshare - 1% - <1% - Other 11 3% 2% - 10% Total % 100% 100% 100% Location of accommodation used by day on holiday All day on holiday were asked to indicate the location of their accommodation. These locations include elsewhere in East Sussex (106 ), London (46 ), West Sussex (26 ) and further afield (10 ) Sources used to choose accommodation When asked what sources they used to choose their accommodation, the majority of all (83%) indicated that they had searched online prior to their arrival in Brighton and Hove. Seven percent had received a recommendation from others, 5% had used some form of social media, 2% had used a brochure and 1% had visited a Visitor Information Centre. A further 3% had used an other source to choose their accommodation, the results of which are shown in section The main differences between domestic and overseas was that higher numbers of domestic used the internet to choose their accommodation (85% compared with 79% of overseas), whereas 8% of overseas used social media compared with 4% of domestic. Overseas (2%) were more likely to visit a Visitor Information Centre to book their accommodation than domestic (0%). Table 13: Sources used to choose accommodation Staying 2018 Domestic Overseas Online % 85% 79% Recommendation 21 7% 7% 7% Visitor Information Centre 2 1% - 2% Social media 15 5% 4% 8% Brochure 6 2% 2% 2% Other 9 3% 3% 3% Total % 100% 100% 13

18 Specified online sources Staying specified the online source they used to choose their accommodation. Half of these had visited Booking.com (50%), followed by AirBnB (10%) and Google (8%). Table 14: Specified online sources used to choose accommodation Staying 2018 Domestic Overseas Booking.com % 52% 45% Air BnB 25 10% 8% 14% Google 20 8% 9% 6% Visit Brighton 18 7% 5% 13% Hotels.com 17 7% 7% 6% Trip Advisor 14 5% 5% 7% Expedia 12 5% 5% 3% Premier Inn website 4 2% 2% - The Caravan Club website 5 2% 2% 1% Hostel World 4 2% 1% 3% Hilton loyalty programme 4 2% 1% 3% Travelodge website 3 1% 2% - Trivago 1 <1% 1% - Laterooms.com 1 <1% 1% - Brighton Holiday Homes 1 <1% 1% - Telegraph offer 1 <1% - 1% Dog Friendly B&B s 1 <1% 1% - Lastminute.com 1 <1% 1% - Total 255 N.B. Multiple responses permitted Other sources Other sources used by staying to choose their accommodation included being given a gift voucher/present (4 ), booked through a travel agent/tour operator (2 ) or via a television show (1 visitor). Table 15: Other sources used to choose accommodation Staying 2018 Git voucher/present 4 Travel agent/tour operator 2 Television show 1 Total When did you decide to make your trip to Brighton and Hove All were asked to specify when they decided to make their trip to Brighton and Hove. For 46% of the decision was made within a week of their visit. The highest proportion of these had made their decision a week before their visit (17%), a further 11% decided the day before their visit, 9% within a few days and some made their decision on the day (8%). 14

19 It should come as no surprise that day from home were more likely to decide to visit Brighton and Hove in a shorter period of time and decided to make their trip within a week prior to their visit (76%). In contrast, staying were more likely to plan their visit in advance, with 62% making their decision more than three months before their visit. Table 16: When decided to make their trip to Brighton and Hove All 2018 Day from home Day on holiday Staying Domestic Overseas Frequent visitor 3 <1% <1% - <1% <1% - Today 76 8% 16% 6% 1% 9% 4% Within last few days 91 9% 14% 7% 6% 10% 5% Yesterday % 17% 9% 7% 12% 7% Within last week % 28% 10% 10% 20% 6% Within last 2 weeks 85 9% 10% 6% 8% 10% 3% Within last month % 7% 12% 16% 12% 11% Within last 3 months % 6% 14% 25% 14% 20% Within last 6 months % 1% 17% 17% 9% 18% Last year 66 7% 1% 17% 8% 3% 21% More than a year ago 12 1% <1% 2% 2% 1% 3% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Domestic were more likely than overseas to decide to visit Brighton and Hove closer to their visit, with 52% indicating that their decision was made within a week of their visit compared with only 22% of overseas What was the initial trigger for thinking about visiting Brighton and Hove All were asked what the initial trigger was that prompted their decision to visit Brighton and Hove. For 26% of all, the initial trigger was to go to the sea/beach, 18% said that their initial trigger was to visit friends or family. Eleven percent had just felt like a day out, 11% had previously visited Brighton or Hove and 7% had been motivated by the good weather. For a third of all day from home (32%), the major trigger to visit to Brighton and Hove was to visit the sea or beach compared with 24% of day on holiday and 21% of staying. Whereas, day on holiday and staying were more likely to have the trigger of visiting family or friends (18% and 22% compared with 13% of day from home). Unsurprisingly, good weather was less likely to influence overseas than domestic (3% compared to 8%). Due to the number of responses to this question, only those responses made by ten or more people are shown in Table 17, overleaf. The full list can be found in Appendix 2. 15

20 Table 17: What was the initial trigger for thinking about visiting Brighton and Hove All 2018 Day from home Day on holiday Staying Domestic Overseas Sea/Beach % 32% 24% 21% 26% 25% See friends/family % 13% 18% 22% 17% 19% On holiday/day out % 11% 13% 11% 12% 10% Been before % 8% 10% 14% 11% 10% Good weather 68 7% 12% 5% 3% 8% 3% Easy to get to/close to London 35 4% 5% 3% 3% 4% 3% Celebration 34 3% 2% 2% 5% 4% 1% Event 33 3% 3% - 5% 4% 1% Shopping 32 3% 5% 3% 2% 4% 1% Haven't been before 25 3% 1% 4% 3% 2% 4% Pier 23 2% 5% - 1% 3% - Work/Business/Conference 20 2% 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% The Lanes 16 2% 3% 1% <1% 2% - Pavilion 16 2% 2% 3% 1% 1% 3% Coach tour/package holiday 13 1% 2% 3% - 2% <1% Recommendation 12 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% Learning English 12 1% - 2% 2% - 6% School/College/Student 11 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 3% N.B. Multiple responses permitted Transport used whilst in Brighton and Hove Table 18: Transport used whilst in Brighton and Hove All 2018 Domestic Overseas All 2016 Foot % 95% 92% 91% Bus 99 10% 9% 15% 9% Car 57 6% 7% 3% 5% Taxi 35 4% 3% 6% 8% Train 20 2% 2% 3% 4% Bicycle 19 2% 2% 2% 2% Mobility scooter/wheelchair 3 1% 1% - 1% Total 985 N.B. Multiple responses permitted The majority of all (95%) travelled around Brighton and Hove by foot. Overseas tended to use buses (15%) and taxis (6%) more than domestic (9% and 3% respectively). 16

21 3.3.8 How navigated way round the City Visitors were asked how they had navigated their way round the city. Half of all respondents did not use any specific method to find their way round the city. Of the half that did use a specific method, 26% of all had used on-street pedestrian signs, 11% had used the VisitBrighton app and 30% had used the VisitBrighton s paper map. Less than 1% had used BHCC s cycle paper map. Forty percent mentioned others ways that they had navigated their way round the city. Of these the most popular method was using Google maps (126 respondents), followed by) phone maps (28 respondents), previous visit (19 respondents), friends or relatives knowledge (11 respondents), local knowledge (6 respondents), using a SatNav (5 respondents), Cheeky Walks (4 respondents), other paper map (4 respondents), the council website (3 respondents) and Brighton/Hove bus app (2 respondents), Table 19: How navigated round the city All 2018 Domestic Overseas On-street pedestrian way finding signs % 29% 16% VisitBrighton app 55 11% 9% 16% VisitBrighton s paper map % 27% 36% BHCC s cycle paper map 2 <1% 1% - Other % 39% 43% Total 493 N.B. Multiple responses permitted Transport used for making trip The highest proportion of all (42%) had travelled to Brighton and Hove by train (45% in 2016), followed closely by those using by private car, van or motorcycle (41% compared with 34% in 2016). The usage of motor vehicles for travel had started to fall over the past few years with 37% using this mode in 2014, but this year saw a significant rise in usage. There was slight drop in the numbers arriving by bus or coach service (12% compared with 14% in 2016) and those on a coach tour (2% compared with 4% in 2016). Table 20: Mode of transport used All 2018 All 2016 Day from home Day on holiday Staying Train % 45% 39% 37% 47% Car/van/motorcycle % 34% 45% 32% 40% Bus/coach service % 14% 12% 23% 6% Coach tour 24 2% 4% 3% 5% 1% Motorhome 12 1% 2% <1% 1% 2% Taxi 6 1% 1% - 1% 1% Walked/on foot 5 1% <1% - - 1% Bicycle 2 <1% <1% <1% 1% - Private yacht/boat 4 <1% <1% - 1% 1% Mobility scooter 2 <1% <1% <1% - <1% Total % 100% 100% 100% 100% 17

22 Length of stay Table 21, below, shows that a third (30%) of all staying in 2018 were on a short break of 2-3 nights (41% in 2016). Results split by domestic and staying reveal significant differences. Over half (57%) of domestic were on a short break of 1-3 nights, whereas two thirds of overseas (74%) were on a longer trip of over 4 nights. Table 21: Duration of trip for staying All 2018 All 2016 Domestic Overseas 1 night 77 19% 19% 24% 4% 2-3 nights % 41% 33% 22% 4-7 nights % 25% 29% 34% 8-14 nights 51 12% 10% 10% 18% Over 14 nights 35 9% 5% 3% 22% Total % 100% 100% 100% Information sources used All were presented with a list of sources of information and asked whether any of these had influenced them to visit Brighton & Hove. Overall, 60% of did not use any information source prior to their trip compared to 40% in A further 22% had received information from family members, friends or colleagues (41% in 2016). Other sources of information used by prior to their visit included previous visit to Brighton and Hove (10 ), books (1 visitor), business (2 ), school (2 ), Stonewall (2 ), concert (3 ), the pier (5 ), Visit Brighton (2 ), Trip Advisor (1 visitor) and British Legion association (1 visitor). Table 22: Sources of information used to plan trip by visitor type All 2018 All 2016 Family/friends/colleagues % 41% Website or web advertisement % 11% Social media 43 4% N/A Leaflets/brochures 29 3% 4% TV programme 18 2% 2% Visitor Information Centre 8 1% 5% Newspaper article/magazine feature 7 1% 1% Posters 6 1% 1% Travel agent 3 <1% 2% Newspaper/magazine adverts 3 <1% 1% Time Out guide 4 <1% 1% TV advert 2 <1% 1% Radio advert 2 <1% <1% Radio programme 4 <1% <1% Used NO information prior to trip % 40% Other 30 3% 2% N.B. Multiple responses permitted 18

23 Activities undertaken All were shown a list of leisure activities and asked whether they had, or intended to, participate in any of these during their visit. Table 23: Leisure activities undertaken by visitor type All All Day visitor Day Staying Domestic Overseas from home on holiday visitor Just walking around % 64% 77% 78% 86% 81% 78% Going to a restaurant or place to eat out % 77% 67% 74% 86% 75% 80% Visiting the beach/seafront % 82% 71% 68% 80% 75% 74% Shopping % 54% 44% 48% 60% 50% 57% Visiting tourist attraction % 55% 35% 49% 54% 42% 59% Visit a pub/club % 43% 22% 27% 49% 33% 37% Relaxing/enjoying view/picnicking etc % 30% 32% 22% 38% 34% 26% Viewing architecture % 12% 7% 9% 17% 10% 18% Going to see a film/show/gig/theatre 72 7% 11% 3% 4% 13% 7% 8% Walking/cycling in surrounding countryside 59 6% 8% 4% 5% 9% 6% 7% Going on organised trip/tour 39 4% 10% 1% 6% 5% 3% 8% Doing an organised experience/tour 35 4% N/A - 5% 6% 3% 7% Pursuing a hobby/special interest 25 3% 2% 1% 2% 4% 2% 3% Going to an event 32 3% 2% <1% 1% 7% 3% 3% Pursuing a water sport/interest 10 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% Other 1 <1% 1% <1% - - <1% - N.B. Multiple responses permitted As shown in Table 23, the four most popular activities undertaken by over half of those interviewed were Just walking around (81%), Going to a restaurant or place to eat out (76%), Visiting the beach or seafront (75%) and Shopping (51%). All five activities were the same top four as in 2016 but ranked in slightly different order Events and attractions visited As shown in Table 24, below, out of the that indicated they were attending an event, the most popular was going to The Friends Fest exhibition (14 respondents). When asked to specify which attraction(s) they had visited or planned to visit during their trip, overwhelmingly the most popular was the pier (265 respondents). This was followed by The Pavilion (129 respondents) and the British Airways i360 (102 respondents). Table 24: Events gone to No. of responses Friends Fest 14 Music festival/concert 6 Comedy Club 3 Snail sculpture 3 Cocktail tasting 2 60 s evening Mods 2 Dancing venues 1 Scooter rally 1 19

24 Table 25: Attractions visited No. of responses Pier 265 Pavilion 129 British Airways i Beach 29 Brighton Museum 23 The Lanes 19 Sea Life Centre 16 Volks Railway 15 Art Gallery 6 Marina 4 Arcades/Rides 3 Choccywoccydoodah 3 Komedia 2 Hove lagoon 2 Gardens 2 Ghost tour bus 1 Monks House 1 Mini golf 1 Library 1 Architecture 1 20

25 3.4 Visitor Expenditure This section of the report details the average expenditure of all visitor types to Brighton and Hove (per person, per 24 hours). Figures are broken down by category of spend accommodation, eating out, shopping, entertainment (including admissions to attractions, sports, guided tours, etc) and travel (fares, parking charges, fuel, etc). The sample sizes for the special shopping trip, language students and business/conference categories are low so please take this into consideration when viewing these figures Staying visitor expenditure The average expenditure among staying to Brighton & Hove (per person per 24 hours) on eating out, shopping, entertainment and travel was ( in 2016). With the addition of accommodation, it came to approximately ( in 2016). Table 26: Average spend by staying ( /per person/per 24 hrs) Category of expenditure All staying 2018 All staying 2016 Domestic Overseas Accommodation Eating out Shopping Entertainment Travel Total Ave NB: Based on dividing total spend by total number of and thus includes who spent nothing. The average spend on accommodation at varied across the type of accommodation used during the stay, and resulted in a high average spend when compared to 2016 ( 94.94). The average expenditure between both domestic and overseas staying varied, with domestic spending an average of per person per 24 hours ( in 2016) and by overseas ( in 2016). Domestic spent more on eating out, shopping and travel than overseas. Due to the extreme temperatures during summer a number of spent the day on the beach and so average spend on eating out, shopping and entertainment has seen a fall. Table 27: Average spend of staying in Brighton by main reason for visiting ( /per person/per 24 hrs) Category of expenditur e Leisure/ Holiday Visiting friends and relatives Special shopping trip Language student Business/conference Accommodation Eating out Shopping Entertainment Travel Total Ave

26 NB: Based on diving total spend by total number of and thus includes who spent nothing Day on holiday expenditure Day on holiday spent slightly more overall in 2018 ( 96.63) compared to the overall amount spent in 2016 ( 90.03). Opposite to previous years, overseas spent more money on average, with per person per day ( in 2016) compared to by domestic ( in 2016). Table 28: Average expenditure of day on holiday ( /per person/per day) Category of expenditure All day on holiday 2018 All day on holiday 2016 Domestic Overseas Eating out Shopping Entertainment Travel Total Ave NB: Based on diving total spend by total number of and thus includes who spent nothing. Results split by purpose of trip reveal that those on a leisure visit and those visiting friends and relatives spent the most per day compared to other purposes listed in Table 29. Table 29: Average spend of day on holiday by main reason for visiting ( /per person/per 24 hrs) Category of expenditur e Leisure/ Holiday Visiting friends and relatives Special shopping trip Language student Business/conference Eating out Shopping Entertainment Travel Total Ave NB: Based on diving total spend by total number of and thus includes who spent nothing Day from home visitor expenditure The average expenditure among day from home (per person per 24 hours) on eating out, shopping, entertainment and travel in 2018 was in This slight fall in expenditure can probably be accounted for by the large number of day from home that had come to just spend the day at the beach due to the hot weather and therefore did not spend as much on eating out or shopping. Table 30: Average expenditure of day from home ( /per person/per day) Category of expenditure All day from home 2018 All day from home 2016 Eating out Shopping Entertainment Travel Total Ave NB: Based on diving total spend by total number of and thus includes who spent nothing. 22

27 Results split by purpose of trip reveal that those visiting friends or relatives spent significantly less per day compared to 2016, all aspects of spend saw a fall for this group. Table 31: Average spend of day from home by main reason for visiting ( /per person/per 24 hrs) Category of expenditur e Leisure/ Holiday Visiting friends and relatives Special shopping trip Language student Business/conference Eating out Shopping Entertainment Travel Total Ave NB: Based on diving total spend by total number of and thus includes who spent nothing. 23

28 3.5 Visitor Opinions The survey sought to obtain the opinions of to Brighton and Hove on a range of indicators which together comprise the visitor experience. Each indicator was rated on a scale of one to ten, where 1= very poor (or the most negative response) and 10= very good (or the most positive response, allowing satisfaction scores (out of 10) to be calculated Accommodation Staying who were using commercial accommodation in Brighton and Hove were asked to rate their accommodation in terms of quality of service and value for money. Out of a score of 1-10 with 10 representing totally satisfied, the mean average score on quality of commercial accommodation was 7.87, higher than the average score of 7.65 achieved in At 7.67, the mean average score on value for money was also higher than the average given in 2016 (7.56). Table 32: Rating on accommodation Quality of commercial accommodation Value for money of commercial accommodation Mean 2018 Mean % 1% 2% 5% 10% 14% 31% 18% 18% <1% 1% 1% 1% 9% 9% 20% 26% 13% 19% Overseas also rated the quality of commercial accommodation (7.69) similarly to 2016 (7.64), but value of money lower than in 2016 (7.59 compared with 7.65). Domestic provided much higher average mean scores on both quality (7.95) and value for money (7.70) than in 2016 (7.66 and 7.52 respectively). Table 33: Rating on accommodation by domestic/overseas Domestic 2018 Domestic 2016 Overseas 2018 Overseas 2016 Quality of commercial accommodation Value for money of commercial accommodation

29 3.5.2 Visitor satisfaction ratings Visitors were asked to express their opinions on the wide range of factors or indicators which together comprise the visitor experience. The average score results indicate a high level of satisfaction with only two out of twenty-eight of attributes measured receiving scores of less than 7. Table 34: Satisfaction scores all Ease of getting here <1% 1% 1% 2% 2% 4% 9% 23% 24% 34% Ease of parking 4% 4% 6% 6% 8% 7% 11% 20% 12% 23% Value for money of parking 12% 8% 12% 9% 12% 9% 12% 11% 5% 10% Quality and value for money of accommodation Overall impression of Brighton and Hove in terms of feeling of welcome Mean 2018 Mean 2016 <1% 1% 1% 2% 5% 7% 20% 30% 17% 17% <1% <1% 2% 3% 9% 31% 28% 27% Welcome by City Champions 1% - 1% - 2% 6% 26% 31% 21% 12% Visitor Information Points - Quality of service Visitor Information Centre - Ease of finding locations - - 3% - 3% 5% 15% 34% 22% 18% % 1% 3% 7% 15% 31% 24% 19% Transport in the City Buses - - 1% 1% 1% 6% 10% 23% 23% 35% Transport in the City Cycle routes Transport in the City - Taxi s and their drivers 2% - 2% 2% 2% 2% 9% 30% 26% 24% % - 3% 8% 17% 30% 21% 18% Transport in the City Rail 1% 3% 3% 2% 5% 3% 10% 17% 24% 31% Ease of finding way around <1% <1% <1% <1% 1% 2% 10% 28% 27% 31% Quality of visitor attractions & other places to visit Value for money of visitor attractions & other places to visit Quality of places to eat & drink Value for money of places to eat & drink - <1% <1% <1% 1% 3% 10% 37% 26% 22% <1% <1% <1% 1% 4% 7% 19% 34% 20% 14% <1% <1% - <1% 1% 2% 10% 32% 29% 26% <1% <1% <1% 1% 2% 6% 18% 34% 24% 14% Quality of the shopping <1% - - <1% 1% 5% 9% 32% 29% 24% Cleanliness and availability of public toilets 4% 2% 6% 6% 13% 13% 17% 21% 10% 9% Cleanliness of streets 1% 1% 2% 5% 10% 16% 22% 23% 11% 9% Upkeep of parks/open spaces/seafront 1% - <1% 1% 3% 9% 25% 30% 18% 12% Quality of beach/seafront <1% <1% <1% 1% 1% 5% 16% 35% 23% 18% City heritage - - <1% <1% 2% 3% 12% 33% 27% 22% Vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere Feeling safe and secure in the City Choice of nightlife/evening entertainment Ease of driving around the City <1% - <1% 1% 1% 2% 9% 32% 27% 28% <1% <1% <1% 1% 3% 13% 29% 29% 25% <1% - <1% 1% 1% 1% 10% 32% 27% 28% % 2% 2% 7% 6% 12% 21% 22% 12% 14% Lively gay scene <1% 1% 2% 8% 26% 30% 32%

30 Table 34, on previous page, shows only four attributes of satisfaction not exceeding the 2016 ratings, these were for Value for money of parking, Cleanliness and availability of public toilets, Cleanliness of streets and Ease of driving around the City (indicated in red on the table). The highest average score of 8.77 was given to Lively gay scene (8.34 in 2016). Ease of finding way around, Choice of nightlife/evening entertainment, Quality of places to eat and drink, Vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere and Overall impression in terms of feeling of welcome also received high average scores. Table 35: Satisfaction scores by type of visitor Day from home 2018 Day from home 2016 Day visitor on holiday 2018 Day visitor on holiday 2016 Staying 2018 Staying 2016 Ease of getting here Ease of parking Value for money of parking Quality and value for money of accommodation Overall impression of Brighton and Hove in terms of feeling of welcome Welcome by City Champions Visitor Information Centre - Quality of service Visitor Information Centre - Ease of finding locations Transport in the City - Buses Transport in the City Cycle routes Transport in the City - Taxi s and their drivers Transport in the City - Rail Ease of finding way around Quality of visitor attractions & other places to visit Value for money of visitor attractions/places to visit Quality of places to eat & drink Value for money of places to eat & drink Quality of the shopping Cleanliness and availability of public toilets Cleanliness of streets Upkeep of parks/open spaces/seafront Quality of beach/seafront City heritage Vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere Feeling safe and secure in the City Choice of nightlife/evening entertainment Ease of driving around the City Lively gay scene

31 Overall, day on holiday appear more satisfied with their visit to Brighton and Hove compared to both day from home and staying groups. In all, day on holiday rated 26 of the key indicators higher when compared with staying - who rated 22 higher than in and day from home - who only rated 7 attributes higher than in Table 36: Satisfaction scores by type of visitor Domestic 2018 Domestic 2016 Overseas 2018 Overseas 2016 Ease of getting here Ease of parking Value for money of parking Quality and value for money of accommodation Overall impression of Brighton and Hove in terms of feeling of welcome Welcome by City Champions Visitor Information Centre - Quality of service Visitor Information Centre - Ease of finding locations Transport in the City - Buses Transport in the City Cycle routes Transport in the City - Taxi s and their drivers Transport in the City - Rail Ease of finding way around Quality of visitor attractions & other places to visit Value for money of visitor attractions/places to visit Quality of places to eat & drink Value for money of places to eat & drink Quality of the shopping Cleanliness and availability of public toilets Cleanliness of streets Upkeep of parks/open spaces/seafront Quality of beach/seafront City heritage Vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere Feeling safe and secure in the City Choice of nightlife/evening entertainment Ease of driving around the City Lively gay scene As shown in Table 39, above, domestic appear less satisfied with their visit to Brighton and Hove than in previous years compared to overseas, with overseas rating 26 of the key indicators higher compared to 2016 compared with domestic only rating 22 of the key indicators higher than in

32 3.5.3 Overall rating of the Brighton & Hove offer All were asked to rate the overall enjoyment of their visit to Brighton and Hove, the likelihood of them recommending Brighton and Hove to others and their likelihood of returning for a day trip/short stay. With an average score of 8.66, visitor s overall enjoyment of their trip to Brighton & Hove was slightly lower than in 2016 (8.71). With nearly 9 out of 10 people likely to recommend the city to friends and relatives (8.85) and return themselves (8.81), the rate of referral and repeat visits was also very high. Visitors were also asked to provide an overall rating of what is on offer in Brighton and Hove in comparison to other places they have been to in the UK. Here, the average mean score was a little lower than the score provided in 2016 (8.01 compared with 8.10). Table 37: Overall rating score How would you rate the overall enjoyment of your visit to Brighton & Hove? How likely are you to recommend Brighton & Hove to others? How likely are you to return to Brighton & Hove for a day trip/short stay? Overall, how would you rate what is on offer in Brighton & Hove compared to other places visited in the UK Mean 2018 Mean <1% <1% 1% 2% 9% 33% 27% 28% <1% <1% 1% 2% 6% 27% 24% 39% <1% 1% 1% 1% 4% 3% 6% 17% 20% 48% <1% - 1% 1% 6% 8% 16% 31% 20% 19% When broken down in to visitor type, as with previous years, it appears that staying (8.77) tended to enjoy their visit more overall compared to both day from home (8.55) and day on holiday (8.66). This reason may be behind staying also appear more likely to recommend Brighton and Hove to others and providing a higher average mean score when rating what is on offer in Brighton and Hove compared to other places visited in the UK. Table 38: Overall rating score by visitor type Day from home 2018 How would you rate the overall enjoyment of your visit to Brighton & Hove? How likely are you to recommend Brighton & Hove to others? How likely are you to return to Brighton & Hove for a day trip/short stay? Overall, how would you rate what is on offer in Brighton & Hove compared to other places visited in the UK Day from home 2016 Day on holiday 2018 Day on holiday 2016 Staying 2018 Staying Domestic appear to have enjoyed their visit to Brighton and Hove slightly more than overseas which, as Table 42 indicates, has resulted in a higher mean score for likely to recommend and return. 28

33 Table 39: Overall rating score by visitor type Domestic Visitors 2018 Domestic Visitors 2016 Overseas 2018 Overseas 2016 How would you rate the overall enjoyment of your visit to Brighton & Hove? How likely are you to recommend Brighton & Hove to others? How likely are you to return to Brighton & Hove for a day trip/short stay? Overall, how would you rate what is on offer in Brighton & Hove compared to other places visited in the UK

34 Appendix 1 Brighton and Hove Visitor Survey 2018 Questionnaire 30

35 31

36 32